Marli Dorn on Joker: Folie à Deux
For a film that strives to be a musical, it tries to fit itself into the world built in the first film while trying to be more ambitious, resulting in a film that jumps from dream-like sequences to reality that ultimately takes the viewer out of the story. The film is disappointing compared to the first as it lives seemingly two lives between the serious tone of the first and the musical life, making things uncompelling and most major events flat. The film’s uncertainty of identity makes it difficult to nail down who exactly the movie was made for as it falls into a strange in-between of the first film and a film with elements similar to a serious musical.
If only the film took into consideration the singing abilities and confidence of its leading man Joker, played by Joaquin Phoenix, when deciding to create a musical. Phoenix seems to be holding his punches, similar to the film, during his singing performances but makes up for it with his tremendous portrayal of the challenging Arthur Fleck and Joker. Lee, on the other hand, played by Lady Gaga, pulls her weight and even Joker’s by giving a top-notch performance even with a lackluster narrative and storyline. Gaga showcases her talent and signing chops in a mixture of over-the-top dance numbers as well as intimate moments between her character and Joker. However, there is a jarring juxtaposition between the “grounded” musical numbers shared between Joker and Lee and the sequences that take place in the fantasy world continue to convoluted and muddy the film’s waters. The film loses its identity as it makes these jumps, taking the viewer out of the film and only pulling them back in with the overshadowing, powerful, and haunting score of Hildur Guðnadóttir.
Engaging scenes are rare but occasionally do pull the viewer in. The courtroom scenes- where Arthur Fleck is silent- were the most compelling. The scene featuring Garry Puddles includes one of the most captivating scenes as Leigh Gill delivers a powerful performance where he recollects his trauma of seeing Arthur Fleck kill someone in the first film. Harvey Dent, played by Harry Lawtey, adds a new spin to the character as he excitingly carries himself and brings an attitude to the courtroom that fills the scenes with panache. Lee, who should be a standout, unfortunately, falls flat as the meeting between Arthur and Lee feels rushed. Things go from a smile in the hallway of a psych ward to matching each other's freak and suddenly “feeling not alone anymore.” The couple remains mischievous but Lee falls towards the background, feeling shoehorned into the narrative rather than a fully fleshed-out character with clear motivations.
The pacing of the film was also a major flaw as it rushes over large plot points but ruminates on slow scenes of Lee and Joker signing songs to each other that don’t contribute to the advancing of the plot. Following an exuberant scene in the courtroom, the film quickly glosses over the excitement and cuts to the next slow, dull moment. The pacing felt janky in the same way the plot felt all over the place as it took the audience in and out of the gripping areas of the story to put them into the fantasy musical world where they could escape from all the film’s major flaws.
For a film that strives to be a musical, it tries to fit itself into the world built in the first film while trying to be more ambitious, resulting in a film that jumps from dream-like sequences to reality that ultimately takes the viewer out of the story. The film is disappointing compared to the first as it lives seemingly two lives between the serious tone of the first and the musical life, making things uncompelling and most major events flat. The film’s uncertainty of identity makes it difficult to nail down who exactly the movie was made for as it falls into a strange in-between of the first film and a film with elements similar to a serious musical.
If only the film took into consideration the singing abilities and confidence of its leading man Joker, played by Joaquin Phoenix, when deciding to create a musical. Phoenix seems to be holding his punches, similar to the film, during his singing performances but makes up for it with his tremendous portrayal of the challenging Arthur Fleck and Joker. Lee, on the other hand, played by Lady Gaga, pulls her weight and even Joker’s by giving a top-notch performance even with a lackluster narrative and storyline. Gaga showcases her talent and signing chops in a mixture of over-the-top dance numbers as well as intimate moments between her character and Joker. However, there is a jarring juxtaposition between the “grounded” musical numbers shared between Joker and Lee and the sequences that take place in the fantasy world continue to convoluted and muddy the film’s waters. The film loses its identity as it makes these jumps, taking the viewer out of the film and only pulling them back in with the overshadowing, powerful, and haunting score of Hildur Guðnadóttir.
Engaging scenes are rare but occasionally do pull the viewer in. The courtroom scenes- where Arthur Fleck is silent- were the most compelling. The scene featuring Garry Puddles includes one of the most captivating scenes as Leigh Gill delivers a powerful performance where he recollects his trauma of seeing Arthur Fleck kill someone in the first film. Harvey Dent, played by Harry Lawtey, adds a new spin to the character as he excitingly carries himself and brings an attitude to the courtroom that fills the scenes with panache. Lee, who should be a standout, unfortunately, falls flat as the meeting between Arthur and Lee feels rushed. Things go from a smile in the hallway of a psych ward to matching each other's freak and suddenly “feeling not alone anymore.” The couple remains mischievous but Lee falls towards the background, feeling shoehorned into the narrative rather than a fully fleshed-out character with clear motivations.
The pacing of the film was also a major flaw as it rushes over large plot points but ruminates on slow scenes of Lee and Joker signing songs to each other that don’t contribute to the advancing of the plot. Following an exuberant scene in the courtroom, the film quickly glosses over the excitement and cuts to the next slow, dull moment. The pacing felt janky in the same way the plot felt all over the place as it took the audience in and out of the gripping areas of the story to put them into the fantasy musical world where they could escape from all the film’s major flaws.
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